Detectorists Special back for a new, extended episode

Here’s a little gift for everyone – the return to our screens of our favourite metal detecting enthusiasts.

It’s almost five years to the day since we last saw Lance and Andy who, back then, appeared to have – quite literally – struck gold. But has time been kind to them since our last trip to Danebury in 2017?

Once again, the programme has been written and directed by the gentle sitcom’s creator, Mackenzie Crook who, despite having carved himself a decent career behind the camera, still admits he finds it odd telling people what to do, claiming “it’s not really in my personality.”

In recent years, he’s graced our screens at Christmas via new versions of Barbara Euphan Todd’s much-loved Worzel Gummidge stories (he even roped fellow Detectorist Toby Jones into appearing in an episode as multiple characters). Both that and this series could almost inhabit the same world – a bucolic countryside in which the sun is always shining. Sadly, we won’t be seeing Worzel this year, but we’re more than happy to forego that for a reunion with the members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club (DMDC).

We were first introduced back in 2014 when Crook, himself an occasional detectorist, announced, “This is my first time directing but, though it’s sometimes nerve wracking, I’m confident that I have an incredible team to rely on. For years British television has been screaming out for an archaeology-based sitcom, hasn’t it?

Crook may have been speaking with his tongue firmly in his cheek, but the answer turned out to be a resounding ‘yes’.

The original three series aired on BBC Four, but this time its popularity means the show’s been promoted to BBC Two, where Crook originally found fame in The Office.

The only bad thing about the return of the programme is that we’re not getting a fourth series. Instead, Crook has penned an extended, 75-minute edition.

“I’ve had a story percolating for a while and I thought it was worth getting Lance, Andy and the rest of the band back together for,” he says. “The affection expressed for Detectorists over the years has been incredible and I hope fans of the show will enjoy this new, extended episode.”

Sadly, one person who won’t be returning is Diana Rigg, who played Andy’s stern mother-in-law (his other half is portrayed by Rigg’s real-life daughter Rachael Stirling); she passed away in 2020.

Instead, the focus will be on the DMDC, which is in turmoil – developers want to use the land on which their home, the local scout hall, stands. To save it, the members must come up with the cash to buy it – and hope their latest dig will unearth the treasure needed to raise the funds.

Sure enough, a mysterious relic is unearthed, but when Lance breaks protocol, chaos threatens to ensue.

It’s a delightful story that should brighten up Boxing Day evening – here’s hoping Crook doesn’t retire his characters afterwards, because we’d love to unwrap more of their delightful adventures.